


A Princess and Her Mad Scientist

by dolewhip_17



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blood and Violence, Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Other, POV Third Person Limited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28541781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolewhip_17/pseuds/dolewhip_17
Summary: You are a princess living in a palace outside of Paris. With lots of responsibilities, such as ballet and learning about international politics, the only free time you have is your daily horseback ride. One day, you ask a question that would change your fate for eternity. Just one horseback ride with the lovely stable worker. One that would lead to love, death, hope, anguish. What is she hiding? How far are you willing to go for the one that you love?
Relationships: Hange Zoë & Reader
Kudos: 1





	A Princess and Her Mad Scientist

**Author's Note:**

> to anyone who clicks on this: Hello! Thanks for giving this a shot :)  
> Just an fyi: I am a plot oriented person, hence you find too many *scenes* in this work (like all good things, they must be in moderation haha). This is also my first published work, so it's both a bit exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. 
> 
> A few notes:  
> \- Any thought y/n has will be in {} (ugh I couldn't italicize lol)  
> \- I used she/her pronouns for both y/n and Hange, but you can use any for her and you! (If you prefer they/them, that is totally cool, I just did she/her!) 
> 
> I am also a musical person, and since I constantly listen to music while writing (or doing anything, really), I would highly suggest you all to listen to some of the pieces that got me through writing this. 
> 
> \- Waltz of the Flowers: Tchaikovsky  
> \- Nocturne No.2 In E Flat, Op.9, No.2: Chopin  
> -Nocturnes, L.91: 2. Fêtes: Debussy  
> \- Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral: Richard Wagner  
> \- Turandot/Act 3: "Nessun dorma"
> 
> I know this is long, but I hope you enjoy!!

She couldn’t escape her mind, no matter how hard she tried. Was it love? Intrigue? Or a force she had not yet felt before, its presence engulfing her very thoughts. Her stare. What did it mean? What was she hiding? It was a force so powerful, not even y/n could fathom its power. An intrigue as large as say, a Titan, roaming the wheat laden fields in hopes of finding its next prey. A-

“Y/n! Snap out of it and point your feet!” Ms. Nikiforov snapped as she clapped her hands to keep tempo. Y/n eyes blurred as she plied to prep for a saute, her leg extending gracefully behind her. That wasn’t so bad she thought as she landed back on the ground, pausing for a moment, the stable worker’s mysterious dark brown eyes at the forefront of her mind. {Shoot, what comes next?}

“There is no time to wait! How can you expect to be a prima ballerina if you cannot do this simple combination!” Nikiforov shouted, her thick accent echoing across the oversized studio adorned with gold statues and accents, the sun shining through the grandiose windows. {Right! The pirouettes!} En pointe, y/n prepped for a triple and a half pirouette, her body unwavering against the rotations. She rose her left leg into an arabesque before kneeling on the ground, signifying the end of the combination. Sweat dripped on the floor as y/n breathed heavily, her toes in excruciating pain. 

“You could have done better. A lot better. This is the last time I will tell you to focus, or I’m done being your coach and moving back to Russia!” Ms. Nikiforov, of Moscow, Russia, was hired by y/n’s father to prepare the finest ballerina in all of France. While y/n lacked in focus, she made up in talent and sheer flexibility, so Nickiforov’s repeated threats were, for the most part, empty. She was being paid exponentially more than if she had stayed in Moscow, so there was no doubt that she would ever leave. Y/n rose from the ground and walked to her water glass as Nikiforov quietly complained to herself. 

“Tomorrow, be ready for rehearsal, okay? I can’t have you slacking off anymore,” Nikiforov lightly touched y/n’s shoulder as y/n left the main studio and went into the changing room. She haphazardly stripped off her pointe shoes, putting on her brown boots in place and throwing on a simple outfit, consisting of black pants, a white shirt, and a light brown jacket. Finally, she thought as she ran through the vast hallways and out through the main doors of the palace.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Y/n! There you are! You’re a little later than usual today, is everything alright?” Hange smiled as y/n walked over to the stables. Y/n’s horse, Jean, was all saddled up and ready to go on his daily ride with y/n. Hange’s horse, Sawney, was also ready to go. 

“Yeah. Just got a little absent-minded during rehearsal, that’s all,” y/n replied, her face showing a slight color. “Hey, I see your Sawney is saddled up. Care to join me on my ride today?”  
Hange clasped her hands together as she smiled. “I’d thought you’d never ask,” she said as she jumped onto Sawney. Y/n hopped onto Jean as he neighed in delight. Together, with y/n at the lead, they galloped off onto the trail leading into a dense forest. 

While the trail was designed for patrons of the palace to travel between kingdoms, y/n loved to explore different areas of the forest, regardless of a trail. Even though she was strictly forbidden to veer off of the path, she created her own, and through the years, she had created about fifty unique paths, all leading back to the original path one way or another. After racing on the main trail, y/n encountered a fork; one winding path led to a waterfall, the other leading to a ravine measuring fifty feet in height. 

“Have you been down these paths before?” y/n asked, looking back at Hange. 

“ Nope. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden Sawney anyway,” she said, patting Sawney’s head.

“Great. I want to show you my favorite place on the property,” y/n beamed as she forked right towards the ravine. They trotted through the forest, ducking under low hanging vines and jumping over patches of thorns. 

“Sorry, this path hasn’t been used in a while. Be careful!” y/n called, using her saber to thwack away a thorn laden vine. Eventually, they made it to a clearing in the trees, showcasing a cliff. Since it was springtime, most of the trees showed a bright green hue, with pops of pink and purple throughout the vast forest. 

Overhead, in the crystal blue sky, mighty hawks circled the ravine, searching for their next meal. Free. One dove down into the forest and quickly rose again, this time with a small creature in its mouth. The sun began to dip down, illuminating the beginning of a deep, contrasting sunset. Y/n and Hange, off of their horses, stood next to each other in silence, enjoying the view. After some time, Hange broke the silence.  
“Thanks for letting me go with you today. It seems as if I never get a break working the stables. I needed this,” she said as a small tear flooded her eye, sighing. Y/n looked at her with a soft gaze and in a moment of impulse, pulled her in for a hug. As y/n embraced her, she smelled of stable, notes of hay and oat filling her nose, but she didn’t care. After a few seconds, Hange wrapped her arms around y/n’s shoulders, squeezing her tighter than before. The sun began to dip lower, creating a sky filled with an array of lilac and magenta, not a cloud in sight. 

“We should probably head back,” y/n said as she climbed onto Jean. Together, they followed the beaten path, and with each passing moment, the path became harder and harder to see. Eventually, in the nick of time, they reached the main path, its way lined with gold and silver lanterns. Their trot turned into a steady gallop as they raced back to the stables. In the distance, y/n saw a large figure standing at the edge of the stable house, his arms crossed in front of him. 

“Y/n! Stable worker! You know you can’t be out this late!” he yelled, pointing at y/n. “And you!” he pointed to Hange. “I allow you to stay in this palace under the condition that you care for the horses, not to ride off with them!” His face grew red with anger as y/n and Hange hopped off Jean and Sawney, putting them away in their respective stables.  
“Sorry, father! You see, I just wanted to give her a break, she’s been working so hard and-” 

“Enough excuses! You’re late for dinner young lady!” He grabbed her hand to pull her inside. As they walked into the palace, he turned around. 

“ Hange. You’re free to work in the basement when you finish cleaning and caring for all of the horses, you hear me?” He kept walking, squeezing his daughter’s hand as she glanced back at Hange one last time, who had already begun to take the saddle off of Jean, giving him a carrot to munch on as she scrubbed his shiny black coat. {Hange. That’s a beautiful name}, y/n thought as she sauntered through the halls, the pastel paintings glowing in the candlelight.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next day was as usual as ever. When you’re forced to wake up at five in the morning each day, there is plenty of time to work on being an unattainably perfect princess. Once finished with breakfast, consisting of an assortment of eggs, bread, jams, and tea, it’s time to study world politics and brush up on three foreign languages. Being perfectly fluent in French, English, Spanish, and German has its perks, especially when cursing out one who does not know said language. By mid-morning, it’s y/n’s either most or least favorite time of day, depending on her mood: ballet rehearsal. One of the simultaneous perks and downsides of being royalty is having a private instructor for quite almost everything. The personalized attention is a blessing and a curse and much more mentally deliberating when y/n makes a mistake, which, like many, is often. 

Today, the studio felt different. As if she wasn’t alone. As she stretched on the barre, a stranger walked through the door wearing white ballet tights and a black shirt. His hair was short and black, with his part straight down the center of his scalp. Ms. Nikiforov followed him in, with an unusual smile on her face. 

“Who’s this?” y/n asked as she stretched her splits, using a block to stretch her over-split. 

“This is Bertholdt. You will be doing a partner dance with him for a recital for the nobility in all of France,” y/n, shocked, looked up at him as she got out of her split and rose to meet him. Shaking his hand, he smelled slightly of oats and carrots. Like Hange. Hange. Y/n peered into his eyes, not thinking about him, but her. 

“Are you okay, your Majesty? You seem to be out of it from what I can tell,” Bertholdt let go of her hand and smirked. 

Y/n blinked, her face turning slightly pale. “I’m fine. Let’s get to work, shall we?” As they danced, she couldn’t help but notice his odor time and time again. Even on the first day, he picked her up with ease, as if there was such a thing as a perfect dance partner. 

“I’m surprised you two have decent chemistry on the floor. I guess I am good at finding partners this quickly for a show that’s just in a week,” Nikiforov said as y/n and Bertholdt took off their shoes and headed into the changing room. In the span of a few days, they had already mastered the routine, ready to show the nobility what the royals spend their time on. The performance came and went, and went smoother than y/n, Bertholdt, and even Nickiforov could have ever imagined. After the show, the pair found themselves alone in the changing room once again. 

“It’s been a great week, hasn’t it? I had fun dancing for once,” Bertholdt laughed. Y/n smiled as she changed into a light pastel blue dress, smoothing down her hair into a low bun. 

“Me too,” 

“I have a question,” y/n’s heart began to race. “Do you -uh- like me? I’ve noticed how you look at me during rehearsal and I can’t help but think that-” 

Suddenly, y/n burst into laughter, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Oh my god. I was? Oh, I’m so sorry, I never realized,” She wiped her face carefully to not remove any of the makeup. 

“So, do you?” 

“I don’t. I’m sorry if I made it seem that way I-”

“Oh thank god,” 

“Wait what?” y/n looked at him, stifling a laugh. 

“ I guess the reason why I dance at so many different studios is that the girls always end up catching feelings for me that I have no intention of returning. It’s refreshing to finally have a partner who doesn’t look at me that way,” 

She gulped and stepped closer to him. “What do you mean by ‘no intention of returning’?”

He pulled her in closer, which looked like an embrace to the untrained eye, and whispered in her ear. “I fancy men, not women. I know it’s terrible, but I just can’t help it. I-” Y/n snorted as she pulled him in tighter. 

“There’s nothing wrong with fancying men, Bertholdt. I would know,” she sighed as he realized her intent. “Anyway, I’m glad we can be not just dance partners, but hopefully friends. Now, shall we eat cake?” she asked as she wiped his tears, and together, they headed to the main ballroom where the performance took place. They walked through the large doors, astonished to see so many guests praising the pair. Blushing, they greeted the patrons of the party, making their way to the center of the floor, where a large table with a four-tiered cake stood, adorned with edible flowers of an array of colors. As they ate, y/n looked around for Hange, even if it was just the slightest chance that she would have the night off to do as she pleased. Eventually, she found Hange, looking stunning as ever in a navy blue suit and a white shirt, with flower embellishments on the coat. Y/n placed her plate on a nearby table and ran to her. 

“Hange! I’m surprised my father let you out for the night,” Y/n laughed as she embraced her. 

“It feels nice to have time off. You were amazing out there! How do you get your legs to extend that high? Those angles were perfect! I could use you as a protractor if I wanted to,” Hange gushed as y/n began to blush. The orchestra began to play a waltz, the sweet music filling the air. 

“I know you’ve just performed, but care to dance?” Hange asked, reaching out her hand. Y/n took her hand and stepped out into the center of the dance floor, the candlelight reflecting off of the gold decorations lined on the walls. 

Hange grabbed y/n’s waist as y/n placed her hand on her shoulder. At first, y/n was startled, but became accustomed to the delicate touch, as if her hand was always meant to be. They began to waltz, and surprisingly, no feet were stepped on, even to start. As Hange spun her around, y/n looked into her brown eyes once again, melting at the sight of her. When the piece was nearly over, Hange dipped her, much to her surprise, and as she looked up at her, she knew. She knew how she felt about her, but couldn’t bear to tell the world. As the piece ended, and the crowd erupted into applause, they embraced each other for a moment, laughing. As the quintet started to play again, y/n and Hange moved to the outside of the dance floor.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Let’s get out of here. I think it’s time to show you what I’ve been working on in the basement,” Hange whispered. Startled, y/n nodded, and quickly, the two rushed out of the ballroom. When they were finally alone, Hange grabbed y/n’s hand as she opened the door to the basement. 

“Be careful. These steps are steep and there are no lights on the way down,” Hange explained as y/n intertwined her fingers with hers. Her hands felt rough on y/n’s skin, but she didn’t mind. The roughness was one of the features that made Hange, well, Hange, despite her formal appearance. Together, they carefully ventured down the steps, unable to see anything. It smelled of mildew and unpleasantries as if the basement was not a basement, but a place to store waste. Nevertheless, she persisted, and after a moment of climbing down, she finally saw a light, showcasing a lab straight out of a science fiction novel. Books of various sizes were strewn over the vast wooden table, and in the center, was an array of test tubes filled with mixtures, some bubbling, others changing colors at will. In the corner, there was a small bed, also covered in a multitude of books and papers. {Does Hange even sleep?} y/n thought as she glanced to find Hange’s magnum opus, a small case with a syringe in it. 

“Wow. This is impressive. I had no idea this was even down here. So, what is going on with these potions and more importantly, that syringe? I’ve never seen anything like it,”  
Hange touched her shoulder as she walked past and grabbed a pair of goggles from a drawer underneath the table. “Put these on. I can’t stand for you to lose an eye down here,” Y/n put them on and walked closer to the table. 

“Promise me one thing: Anything that I say down here never leaves this basement, alright? What I’ve been working on is top secret, nobody knows the power of what I am creating, not even myself,”  
“I swear,” Y/n looked directly into Hange’s eyes.

She smiled. “Great! So, what’s in the syringe you may ask? Well, to put it shortly, spinal fluid. 

Y/n grimaced. “Spinal fluid? I think I’m gonna be sick,” 

“No, don’t be! It’s not human, it's Titan!” 

“Titan?” her eyes widened with confusion.

“While catching up on my world mythology, one creature stayed consistent, no matter what culture, Nordic or Greek or Roman or African or what have you. Titans. No matter in what form, there were always man-eating monsters terrorizing humanity. This led me to believe that what if these creatures weren’t fictional at all? What if, somehow, they existed? So, through some extensive research that I’ve been able to do here, I have devised a serum that could create one of these beasts. Sure, I have no clue if it works, but wouldn’t it be fascinating to find out?” Y/n, with a pale face, slowly backed away. {Man-eating Titans? Serum? What is this?} Y/n sat down on Hange’s bed as a tear rolled down her cheek. Without hesitation, Hange sat next to her. 

“Y/n. I told you because I know you can handle this information. But I promise that'' she placed her hand on Y/n’s hand resting at her thigh, “I would never use it on somebody. Please don’t worry,” Y/n wrapped her arms tightly around Hange, who returned the embrace, stroking y/n’s soft hair and gently kissed the top of her head.

Eventually, the pair fell asleep on top of the open books, wrapped around each other, finally in peaceful bliss. After a few hours had passed, y/n woke up. The clock read 3 A.M, and if she wasn’t in her bed by 5, her butler would know of her whereabouts. Gingerly, she let go of Hange’s embrace, kissed the top of her forehead, and maneuvered up the stairs and through the palace to her room, where she laid in her bed, her heart full of a feeling she had never experienced before.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next morning felt the same as always. Breakfast, studies, cello, and ballet rehearsals were all on schedule, and y/n went through the day easier than before, almost eager to be done just to go on her daily horseback ride. After a painstakingly slow three hour class, she was finally able to go to the stables. As she ran out, it was rather chilly for a spring day, and the sky was overcast as if it was about to rain. Hange was setting Sawney, putting on his saddle and a small brown leather backpack. When she noticed y/n, her face glowed with delight. 

“You’re actually on time today. Did you even get yelled at?” she quickly embraced her. 

“Oh, I still got yelled at, just less. Ready to go?” Y/n asked as she hopped onto Jean with ease.

“ Ready as ever, my dear,” Hange replied as she jumped onto Sawney and galloped onto the path. Suddenly, she stopped at what seemed to be a trailhead, but because it hasn’t been used in forever, it was hard to distinguish from the surrounding bushes. “Let’s go this way. Something new for a change,” 

Y/n followed suit as they veered left off of the main path and into an uncharted forest. Jean and Sawney trotted through a mess of thorny bushes and fallen trees until they eventually met with a creek. 

“It’s okay. It shouldn’t be that deep,” y/n reassured the horse as he stepped into the water. To her surprise, the water was deeper than she thought, and cold water touched the soles of her boots. Nevertheless, the pair marched on. Eventually, they came to a clearing and stopped for just a moment. The rain had just started, and it drizzled onto the dirt below. 

“Here,” Hange threw a forest green cloak at y/n. “This should keep us dry,” 

“Thanks, I-” The sound of rustling leaves came from behind. In the distance, she saw three men wearing maroon cloaks, the color of the rivaling kingdom. The men galloped through the dense forest to the clearing. Y/n drew her sword. 

“What are you two doing on our rightful property?” the first man sneered. 

“No. You have it all wrong. This is my property, and you guys are the one's trespassing,” Y/n said. The first man jumped down off of his horse, withdrawing a knife. 

“Louis. You can’t be serious right now. Killing them here would leave a massive damper on our land,” a second man said as he also jumped off of his horse. He also drew a dagger, shorter but sharper than the first man’s. The third man refused to speak nor move. Y/n looked back at Hange with fear in her eyes.

“I’m sure we can settle this in a way that no one has to get hurt. Y/n, let’s just go and let these losers take our land, it will be fine,” Hange finally stated.

“What did you just call us?” Louis boomed, his face glowing red. 

Hange laughed. “You can’t handle being called such a petty nickname? I can’t even imagine you running a kingdom let alone bossing your two ‘friends’ around,” 

“That’s enough!” Louis punched Hange in the face, her glasses flying off and sinking into the mud below. Y/n screamed as she salvaged the glasses. Hange’s eye was bleeding and beginning to be swollen shut. Y/n drew her saber yet again as Hange regained consciousness. 

“I’ll stick with Louis. Hange, get the ginger!” Y/n yelled as she swung her sword right onto his knife, much to her dismay. Hange, fists at the ready proceeded to swing her punches at the man, whose fighting skills were less than stellar. She knocked him to the ground with ease only to find a dagger on the right side of her abdomen. She looked down, blood oozing out of the wound, and fell onto the mud. Her eyes glanced up one last time to find the third man staring at her, a slight smirk spread across his grim face. The rain came down harder now, so sight became even more limited. Y/n screamed as she saw Hange lie on the mud, almost unconscious. 

“Oh, you want to help your little friend? My good friend Frederich has a deadly aim, so there’s no use in helping her now,” Louis said, attempting to stab at y/n. She dodged him as she was backed in front of Sawney. What’s in that damn backpack? y/n thought as she reached inside. Her hand graced over a medium-sized box. {The syringe! This is my only chance!} Y/n grabbed the syringe, filled it with the spinal fluid and as Louis charged at her once more, she stuck the needle in his arm and pressed. 

“What the hell did you do to me? What was in that injection? What the-” suddenly, the transformation began. He went from a mousy young boy to a 4 meter Titan, his skin and eyes glowing an inhumane red. He roared as he picked up the ginger. 

“Louis. Louis. It’s me. You can’t do this to me. You can’t- AHHHHH!!” he screamed in pure agony as the Titan Louis put the ginger into his mouth, chomping on his neck, entrails, and blood flying about in a ten-meter radius. His body went limp as the Louis Titan slurped up the rest of the ginger, leaving only a puddle of blood at his feet. Y/n screamed as she climbed onto Jean’s back and jumped onto the branch of a nearby tree. Frederich stood at the base of the Titan in shock. Swiftly, the Titan picked up Frederich, and without hesitation from either party, shoved him into his mouth, chomping aggressively. This time, Frederich’s arm flew out of the Titan’s mouth, hitting the tree where y/n stood, shaking. Hange woke up, her eyes staring straight at y/n. 

“The base of the neck. Hit the… base… of the…'' she said before lying unconscious yet again. The Titan turned to face Hange, leaving its neck exposed, perfect for the cutting. Screaming, y/n jumped out of the tree and onto the Titan’s shoulder before slashing the back of its neck. Blood sprayed out of the Titan, covering y/n and Hange as the Titan fell, steam pouring out from the wound. As soon as the blood-covered y/n, it evaporated off of her skin and clothes. 

{I need to get her out of here!} Before putting her on Jean, y/n ripped off her cloak and tied it around the wound in hopes of stopping the blood. Hange’s face became paler and paler as the seconds dragged on. She carried her limp body onto the horse and after placing her on, jumped on. Holding her tight, she ordered Jean and Sawney to gallop, and through the pouring rain, they ran. As they headed for the palace, crossing the creek and dense bushes, they heard nearby screams. {Someone is close!} Y/n raced to the path and to the stables, where a crowd of patrons waited. She got closer and closer, holding onto Hange tighter, who was barely alive. 

“Somebody help! Please! She’s been stabbed!” a medic ran over to the horse and brought her down. Checking her pulse, the medic confirmed that she was, in fact, alive. 

“We need to get her to the hospital ward immediately,” the medic said as he and his team carried her inside of the palace. Suddenly, y/n’s father came out of the crowd. 

“What the hell happened? What was all that screaming and injury about?” he said, hugging his daughter tightly. 

“I-it was a Titan. One minute there was just us and three men, and the next, a 4 meter Titan. He ate the other two and almost ate Hange! He ate-” y/n sobbed. The crowd gasped in shock. 

“A Titan? I thought those were purely myths!” a woman murmured.

“They can’t be real. But how else would that girl be steaming right now?” another man sporting a pair of rounded glasses said. 

I’m steaming? She looked at her arm, which evidently, was steaming from the Titan blood that had covered her entire body. Y/n’s face grew pale as she kneeled on the ground. “I-I need to see her. Hange. Please,” Suddenly, Bertholdt came out of the group, looking disheveled, his hair down to his shoulders. 

“Let me help you,” Bertholdt said as he picked y/n up and carried her through the palace and into the hospital ward. There, Bertholdt placed her on a bed next to Hange, where she was lying still, but appeared to be breathing. The knife was laid out on the table next to her and the white cloth was wrapped around, slightly bloodstained. Oh, thank god she’s alive… y/n thought as she passed out on the bed, Bertholdt holding her hand as he apprehensively looked at her.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In what felt like seconds, y/n awoke, no longer steaming. She was in a white hospital gown, her hair tied in a loose low ponytail. Hange was still asleep, resting as she had never been deeply stabbed. Surprisingly, her hair was down and a white bandage covered her left eye. Y/n pulled a chair over to the side of her bed and gingerly touched her hand, stroking her thumb across its rigid surface. 

“I’m so sorry. I should have never gone astray. You should have never been hurt. I messed up. I-” Hange’s eyes fluttered open. With tears in her eyes, y/n squeezed her hand a little tighter.

“How could you?”

Y/n’s eyes widened as she loosened her grip on Hange’s hand. “What do you mean?”

“You used the serum. The only serum on this godforsaken planet,” 

“I had nothing else to use! You were stabbed! I had no choice,” y/n cried out as a tear stung her cheek.

“I knew I never should have told you. It was too dangerous. Now, at the hands of my work, three men are dead at the hands of royalty,” Y/n took her hand off of Hange’s, clasping it against her mouth. 

“ I don’t care if those men are dead. They mean nothing to me. All I care about is you, and I will never apologize for saving your life,” y/n’s voice wavered through the air.  
Hange paused before she sat up. “You mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“You care about me,” 

“Of course I do. Why else would I have turned a human into a monster? Why else would I fully trust that the serum worked in the first place? It’s because of you, Hange. That’s why I love you,” y/n reached for Hange’s hand yet again, intertwining her fingers with hers. With her other hand, Hange wiped a tear as she snorted.

“Humans are such fascinating creatures, mostly more than Titans. We try to understand love so much, but we never know what it is until we experience it firsthand. No matter how many books I read or experiments I run, I will never understand how one human can love another. But, alas, while I may never understand, I still feel love. I know love, and it’s with you, my dear,” With her free hand, Hange reached for y/n’s face, stroking it as she leaned in and kissed her.

Her lips tasted of rose-scented ointment that someone might have put on in her sleep with a hint of oat. Oats, y/n thought as she kissed back, with a passion and intrigue she had never experienced, her hands gliding from the back of her head to her shoulder blades. After a moment, y/n and Hange’s lips slowly parted. As y/n opened her eyes, Hange stared right back at her, her brown eyes glowing in the dim candlelight, slightly blushing. Suddenly, y/n felt a presence in the room. She jumped back in fear. 

“Y/n! You’re awake!” Betholdt swiftly hugged her before looking at Hange. “You’re finally awake too. I can’t believe you both were out for days,”

“Days? There’s no possible way that-” her stomach panged in hunger as she hunched over. Bertholdt picked up two bowls of porridge from the bedside table, handing them to the pair.  
“I knew you would be hungry. So I came prepared,” Y/n, at first, ate slowly, but once the pain died down, devoured the bowl with all of her energy. Hange rested the bowl on her thighs as she attempted to put the food into her mouth. The attempt did not go so well, and she vomited on the floor next to her. 

“Here, I’ll clean that up and get you some water. I was afraid that might happen,” Bertholdt picked up a nearby mop, cleaning the almost clear liquid from the floor. After he finished, he handed her a small glass of water, to which she took small sips. 

“From the looks of your condition, you might be bedridden for the next few weeks. Please, for our sake, don’t sneak out to your lab,” Bertholdt exhaled as he put his hand up to her forehead, which was almost too warm to the touch. “Fever. Go figure. Now please, get some rest,” he said, dipping a cloth into the water and placing it onto her forehead. Her eyes fluttered before shutting once again, her breathing slowed but deep. After a moment, y/n looked up at Bertholdt. 

“Is she going to be okay?” 

“Yes. But that wound was deep, so I doubt she will ever be able to work at the pace she had in the past,” 

“Oh,” Y/n touched her hand once again, her tears spilling down her face, staining the white bedsheets. 

Bertholdt broke the silence. “You love her, don’t you?” Y/n looked at Hange’s face once again. She looked so peaceful, yet different without her glasses. 

“I do,” Y/n squeezed her hand tighter. “And I know what I need to do while she rests,”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It was midnight, and the castle was barren. Everyone had either left or fallen asleep, so y/n had no trouble sneaking out of her room and into the laboratory. Once she stepped down the unusually steep steps, she once again found herself in the messy lab, the same books strewn on the floor and the table. {Let’s get to work. But where should I start?} y/n thought as she noticed a navy blue book opened in the center of the table. 

She peered into the page, which contained not only statistics about pure Titans, but diagrams of a common Titan. Her eyes widened in fear of the diagram, as it looked exactly like the Titan Louis had momentarily turned into before his demise at y/n’s hands. The memories came flooding back. The screams. The arm. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn’t withstand the terrors she had witnessed. With tears in her eyes, she shut the book, breathing heavily. 

“I-I can’t do this. I’m not strong enough,” y/n whispered, sitting on the bed. She paused for a moment, tears running down her eyes as she squeezed Hange’s pillow. It smelled of horses, oats, and a hint of rose. Oats, y/n thought as she wiped her tears.

“Who am I kidding? All I have to do is make a new serum, not use it on someone!” With that in mind, she opened the book yet again, flipping through the pages until she found the page with exact directions on how to create a Titan serum. It prefaced: 

Entry 257: March 15, 1789  
What I have discovered through my studies abroad and at this palace is that in this day and age, Titans do not exist on their own. Instead, Titans may be created from the spinal fluid of existing, past or present, Titans. With this in mind, there is one thing on my mind: How the hell am I going to receive Titan spinal fluid? What culture would have such a niche product and who would ever lend such a powerful ingredient to a crazed scientist?

It took many years, working under many royals, lords, and ladies, but what surprised me was that the spinal fluid was right under my nose the entire time! From my research at an esteemed palace on the outskirts of Paris, I have found Titan fluid deep into the cliffs on the property. When I would go on my bi-weekly ride alone to the cliffs, I noticed one rock jut out from the rest. Naturally, with my ax, I picked away at the formation until I found a spine, one larger than any mammoth or dinosaur in the world. It took months of chipping away, but eventually, I broke into the spine. A strange liquid squirted at me, and with careful precision as to not turn myself into a Titan, I filled a vial with exactly enough for one injection; the fastest way to get the spinal fluid into the bloodstream. 

However, one does not simply test out supposedly Titan fluid without some experimentation first. So, I took another vial and back to my lab I was headed. When I thought I was safe to enter my lab, I heard the delicate footsteps and voice of a girl. It wasn’t just any girl, it was the princess. She’s different from any princess I have had to deal with throughout my studies. She’s kind to me, even if I am merely a stable worker. From what I can infer, she’s also intelligent, also unlike any princess I’ve met, who has never had to deal with the responsibility of taking the throne when she is of age. She stared at me, her beautiful eyes seemed to pierce deep into my soul, and smiled. I was so in awe that for the first time in my life, I couldn’t think. I couldn’t even remember to smile back. Eventually, she leaped and sautéed across the hallway. 

I know little of her, but one day, I believe I can trust her. 

With a tear in her eye, y/n blushed. For once in her life, someone trusted her judgment. That she wasn’t going to be a failure to someone else. However, that feeling lingered.{ I ruined it. She can no longer trust me.} She wiped the tears off of her cheeks in hopes to not plague the pages with them. 

“Who am I kidding? I’ll redeem myself, and it’s in the form of making that goddamn serum! Now, what do you do with the fluid?” she mumbled, flipping the page. 

Now, the real fun begins. Experimentation! While I cannot comprehend all of the components of the fluid, I know it contains water through a series of dehydration experiments. The pH test yielded surprising results as well. Unlike normal human spinal fluid, which is slightly more acidic than pure water, Titan spinal fluid was extremely basic, ranging at about a 13 on the 14 pH scale. If injected into the body purely, it would kill a human: It would have the same effects as if one drank bleach. At least bleach would have time to be absorbed rather than injected into the body. Anyway, I realized that I needed to add a buffer to effectively bring the pH down to a consumable level. So, you may ask, what buffer would work in this scenario? The answer, surprisingly, is lemon juice. After many sleepless nights of testing different weaker acids, lemon stood out. The organic compounds in the lemon blended well with the organic nature of the fluid. However, lemon juice from the source wasn’t strong enough to lower the pH. So, I created a lemon juice concentrate that is located in the far left cabinet. Who knew? After the lemon juice and multiple tests on the concentration and compounds in the Titan fluid, I can conclude that it indeed works. The real test is using it. I may never see it in action. However, I’m excited to see this play out.

The answer was so simple. Lemon juice? However, the real problem was not the manipulation of the Titan fluid, but the acquisition. She had been to those cliffs so many times, so how did she miss it? She even went with Hange, who failed to point out where something so obvious might hide in plain sight. Y/n sighed, closing the book before observing the vials laid out in front of her. Some were still bubbling, one changed from a green pigment to orange while one on the far right of the table had smoke billowing from the top, as there was a continuous flame below. Suddenly, her eyes grew weary before she realized it was already two o’clock in the morning. Gingerly, as to not knock over any of the glass strewn about the workspace, she grabbed a book before flopping onto Hange’s bed. She opened the page, expecting to read a chemistry book, but was met with a surprise: her diary. {I better not read this}, y/n thought as she closed the cover and threw it across the bed. She laid for a moment as she attempted to sleep. However, despite her tired body, her brain kept her up. 

“Fine. Just one entry. It won’t hurt, right?” she muttered, picking up the diary once again. The pages felt smooth against her fingers, while her handwriting was anything but. 

May 11, 1765

Dear Diary, 

What a day! How lucky am I! The princess’s father let me off my stable duties early, but not to work on my project. I guess it was a big night for the French nobility, with performances and parties, so everyone at the castle had to look our best. Needless to say, my uniform is not exactly pristine, so I opted for a tailored suit and for once in my life, took a bath (whether that was my choice is a different matter for another day). Anyway, the princess looked elegant as ever on that grand stage. I didn’t even realize she had a dancing partner until I saw him lift her off of the ground.  
I wonder still, how does she do it? The surface area of that pointe shoe is much too small to support the foot, let alone the turns and the jumps and all that. Still, I would never be able to do the feats she does with ease. Elegance. Grace. Beauty. Her light hit her hair so perfectly, I wish I could stoke it for as long as I am alive. After many performances, there was a ball. This is the first palace I have worked at to which I was invited. What surprised me was that she came over to me the second she grabbed a well-deserved slice of cake. She looked so beautiful, I couldn’t help but ask her to dance. And we did! As we waltzed, I had a feeling in my chest. A feeling I have never experienced before. Never in my life has this release of oxytocin been so strong. Was it love? Intrigue? While I dedicate my life to finding the absolute truths in this world, with her, I don’t want an answer. I just want her. What a night. 

Goodbye, my dear, until we meet again. 

-Hange. Zoë

Y/n closed the book and placed it carefully next to the exact place she had seen it. Yet again, she flopped on the bed, falling asleep instantly with a smile on her face. Get better soon, you dork.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Y/n woke up much later than her usual 5 A.M call time. Before she hurdled up the stairs, she made sure to clean up Hange’s rather messy bed for when one day, she’ll slumber down there once again. Maybe I should get her a room upstairs y/n thought, sprinting to the dining room, where her father and her butler sat, waiting. 

“I saw that you weren’t in your bed last night,” the butler said in a monotone voice. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t keep track of time, I-”

Her father stood up from his gold-encrusted chair at the head of the grandiose dining table. “Where were you? You weren’t fooling around with your dance partner, were you?” 

Y/n jumped back, her eyes growing wider and wider. “You thought I was with Bertholdt?” Suddenly, the fear vanished. She began to laugh, tears streaming down her face, unable to draw a cohesive breath. 

“You think this is funny? Y/n, answer the damn question!” While she tried to contain her laughter, she couldn’t stop. {Does he think I was with Bertholdt? Did he not see Hange and I at the party?}  
“No-no, it’s not that. I have no interest in Bertholdt and trust me, he does not have interest in me. I just fell asleep in a different-empty- room, that’s all. I’m sorry,” She walked over to the oakwood table and grabbed a piece of a baguette. Out of seemingly nowhere, her father began to laugh, something that she hasn’t heard since y/n was a little girl. 

“You know what? Take the day off. I’ve been working with you too much for so much of your life that I’ve forgotten that you make mistakes. Hopefully, this will help you get you back into shape,” he said, spreading a spoonful of strawberry jam on a piece of toasted brioche. 

Y/n beamed. “Thank you, father! I promise I won’t let you down,” she grabbed another chunk of the baguette before rushing out of the dining room. {This is my chance! I need to find that spine!} She ran through the halls and passed by the hospital ward. She stopped dead in her tracks before tiptoeing through the ward, advancing towards the bed at the end of the row. There, she saw Hange, asleep. She lightly touched her hand. 

“I will make it up to you. Just you wait,” she whispered before moving her bangs out of the way and kissing the top of her head. Her lips parted as she released her hand and walked out of the ward. Now. It’s time to focus! Once again, she raced to one of the many palace doors to the stables. Jean gave an excited whine as she approached. {Shoot. Hange’s not here to saddle him up. How do I do this?} Out of thin air, another stable worker appeared. 

“I can help you, Your Majesty,” a mysterious brunette with glasses said, grabbing Jean’s saddle and strapping it into place with ease. 

“Thank you,” She climbed onto Jean and started to head for the large path. 

“Wait, Your Majesty! Do you need someone to assist you on your ride today?” he shouted. 

“No thanks, I have important business to attend to,” y/n replied, Jean, galloping with delight towards the path at the right of the fork. She raced on, the brown bag with an empty syringe bouncing against her body. With her saber, she sliced the vines, which seemed to have grown larger and stronger since the last time she had taken this path. 

She neared the cliff and swiftly jumped off Jean as she grabbed the ax out of her bag. {Let’s make this quick. Now, where is that spine?} Leaving Jean alone, she hiked along the edge of the cliff until she reached a large bump on the surface. It looked like a giant tree root, extending almost half of the length of the cliff itself. With the wind blowing in her hair, she found the spot. In the bump, there was a gaping hole at the base, with dried fluid covering the opening. She raised her ax to strike the hole when she heard a voice in her ear. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the man with the glasses whispered, putting a knife to her throat. “ Now, put down your ax. However, make one move and I will kill you,” Shocked, y/n stayed as still as possible and dropped the ax onto the rocky ground. 

“Who are you? W-Why are you here?” The knife grazed her neck and a stream of blood dripped onto the ground below. 

“Listen carefully, yet again. You are the least deserving person of that serum. How do you even know about the Titans?” Y/n gulped, the blood staining her cream shirt. 

“I can’t tell you,” With his free hand, he hit her upside the head, and blood stained her hair. “Bu-But how do you know? This information is classified,” she stammered, struggling to breathe.

“Oh, you royals always think you know so much about the secrets of our world. Always so blissfully ignorant, so entitled to information that many forget that us ‘commoners’ also know a thing or two. Do you want to know why I know so much about the Titans?” his face became red with anger, taking the knife away from her throat. Y/n fell to the ground, using her newly freed hands to stop the bleeding. She turned to look up at him, his long brown hair covering up a majority of his face. 

“Hold on,” while she struggled, she managed to stand up. Her vision became blurry and the world around her started to spin. “What is your name?” 

“Grisha Jaeger,” he replied. 

“That name-it sounds familiar. But how?” Then it hit her.

“Wait. You wrote some of the books about Titans in the lab! Of course…” 

“I’ve studied Titans all of my life. I know the dangers of the serum. If you want humanity to survive, don’t do this,” 

Y/n was conflicted. Should she heed the advice of Girsha, one who has studied Titans to avoid the downfall of humanity? Or, get the serum for Hange, to understand the true power of the serum? 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I can attest that this serum will never be used on a human. Just for experimentation,” 

Grisha was enraged. “Experimentation? On what? You can do all the testing in the world, but curiosity will get the best of you. One moment, sure, you’ll test it in reactions, but after those are completed, your next subject will turn to humans. That’s just how it is,” 

“It won’t turn out that way,” she bawled her hands into fists since the bleeding had ceased from her neck. 

“The flashbacks. I had them every night,” he sat down on the bump, looking defeated. 

“What?” Y/n sat on the bump, keeping her distance from Grisha. 

“The subjects of Ymir, that’s what they called ‘em. Those Eldians who were punished. Those turned into pure Titans with the serum. In an instant, thousands of people lost their memories, their love, their humanity. I turned out lucky. Or so I thought until my son ate me. It’s a blur. Ever since that vision, I haven’t had one since,” he sighed, looking at his hands. 

“Oh,” she shifted in her seat. She listened intently despite lacking comprehension. {Eldians? Ymir? What is this?}“Grisha. I promise you I will never let that happen. Please trust me,” she stood up from the bump and grabbed the ax. Grisha stood up, his eyes widened. 

“Don’t you even think about it! You have no idea what it will-” Y/n slammed the ax into the hole, releasing a small trickle of fluid from the small incision. The next thing y/n knew, she saw a bright yellow lightning bolt, the clouds turning gray. The mere explosion itself should have killed her, yet she stumbled toward the edge of the cliff.

Luckily, there was a ledge, and she held on, her feet dangling hundreds of feet into the air. Her hands turned white as she held on for dear life and witnessed the transformation. Grisha was no longer Grisha, but a Titan. 

“H-How did he do that?” she stared in awe at the Titan, one much more defined than the pure Titan she had created before. 

Y/n hoisted herself back onto the top of the cliff and drew out her saber. However, Jean wasn’t there to give her a boost to get her on higher ground. The Titan roared, swinging at y/n with his hand. She suddenly jumped over the hand in time and ran towards the nearest pine tree. Like a squirrel scurrying up a tree with a valuable nut, y/n raced up the tree, just before Grisha kicked the base of the tree. Luckily, the tree was strong enough to withstand the blow, so y/n held on tight to the branch, the tree shaking and swaying due to the impact. He roared out in fury as y/n climbed higher and higher into the tree, in hopes of leveling herself with the nape of his neck. However, he was simply too large. She would have to climb to the top of the tree, where the tree would not support her jumping off, let alone standing. Nevertheless, she did.

“Alright you Titan bastard, be prepared to face your doom!” She yelled, jumping off of a thin branch and landing on the Titan’s right shoulder. The branch broke off and tumbled down the tree and into the ravine below. Instinctively, Grisha swatted at her with his left hand while positioning his right at the nape of his neck.{ Damnit. Of course, he knows how to kill a Titan. How stupid am I?} y/n thought as she avoided his attack, slicing off his fingers with her saber. {If only I could cut off his right hand, then I will be able to get to his nape.}

All of a sudden, he stumbled backward, letting his back and y/n slam into a nearby tree, one much thicker than the pine she had climbed. She hit her back hard, knocking the wind out of her. Luckily, as he hit the tree, a branch was situated right where the blow hit, so y/n let go of the Titan and on to the tree. For a moment, she collapsed on the thick branch, her breathing shaky. What the hell am I doing? She got up and climbed the tree once again, her hands becoming rough and covered with blood with every branch she could grab onto. She neared the top of the tree and drew her sword. The Titan faced the cliff, surprisingly unaware of y/n’s whereabouts. {Maybe he thinks I’m dead! This is my chance!} 

Once again, she jumped from the tree, this time right to the nape of his neck. With her saber, she sliced at the nape of his neck. Blood spewed out of the wound, but it wasn’t strong enough to kill. The Titan fell onto its knees as steam shot up at y/n. Coughing, she cut and cut, more blood coming out. Finally, she saw Grisha connected to the Titan. {He’s still a human? How is that possible?} Putting the saber away, she ripped him out of the Titan, severing the tendons connected to his face. She threw him onto the ground as she hopped off of the creature and drew her sword. 

After a moment, he rose, steam covering every inch of his body. Y/n held her saber to his throat. 

“Wa-wait. Please don’t kill me!” he pleaded, tears coming out of his eyes. He was too weak to stand up so he knelt, helpless at y/n’s power. 

“I have no choice. I cannot have people like you threatening the peace of my kingdom with Titans,” she pushed the saber closer and closer to his neck as blood let out from the wound. She stepped closer and closer to the cliff and he had no choice but to shuffle away from the sword. 

“Bu-But you don’t know anything about the Titans. I am this world’s only hope! I-” before he could finish his sentence, y/n drove him off of the cliff. He screamed for a moment while falling, and then fell silent. A moment later, she heard a thud. Y/n peered down the cliff only to find his body impaled into a sharp rock. Even from the height y/n was at, she saw his blood covering the rock, steam billowing from his corpse.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
She walked away from the cliffside, struggling to take a breath. As she went to retrieve the vial, which miraculously survived the battle, she looked down at herself. Great. What a fantastic time to be covered head to toe in Titan blood. Carefully, she took the vial, and without touching the liquid, filled it up. She took another vial and drew up the fluid, just in case the first one didn’t make it on the trip back home. 

“Jean? Jean? Come over here!” she cried out, but much to her dismay, he was nowhere to be found. “I guess I’ll have to walk then,” she began to follow the path, her leg slightly limping. Without a horse, the journey back could last hours. However, the thought of Hange in her mind pushed her to persevere. She reached the main path just a few moments before sunset, where a crowd of patrons stood about. She came out of the hidden trail and the crowd gasped. Suddenly, Bertholdt and her father rushed through the herd. 

“Y/n? What on God’s green earth is going on? This is worse than last time! You’re covered in blood!” her father yelled. However, y/n had no thoughts or cares about her father. 

“I need to go. I need to see her,” she began to weave through the crowd, attempting to ignore the throbbing pain in her leg. Bertholdt followed her and grabbed her arm. 

“Let me help you,” he said, picking her up and running down the lantern-lit path. 

“Thank you,” she replied, putting the vials in her bag. There, they reached the palace door, and with a free hand, Bertholdt pushed it open. Y/n jumped off of him and ran towards the hospital ward. 

“Hey! You can’t run on that-” he paused at the entrance. “Oh, never mind,” 

She limped through the halls before rushing into the hospital ward. As she caught her breath, she looked up to find Hange not only awake but standing, her hair still down, elegantly covering her shoulders. 

“I-I got it. The serum,” she huffed, putting her hands on her thighs. Hange, still across the dimly lit room walked slowly towards her. 

“I know it’s not much but-” before she could finish her sentence, Hange ran over and wrapped her hands around her neck before kissing her, sending a wave of ecstasy down y/n’s body. Y/n kissed back, staining her shirt and neck with Titan blood. After a moment, Hange pulled away with tears in her eyes. 

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” she whispered as she looked down to find blood covering her white gown. “How did this come about?” she asked, y/n wiping the tears off of her cheek. With her free hand, she held Hange’s hand, the rough skin bringing her back to reality. 

“Turns out certain people can turn into Titans, and I just so happened to have run into one of them, that’s all,” y/n laughed, this time, tears spilling out of her eyes and onto the floor below.

“Really? That’s AMAZING! Tell me all about them-” she paused and looked up to find y/n laughing hysterically, the tears cascading into a puddle at her feet. Hange began to laugh as well as the pair knelt on the ground. For a while, they sat, tightly embracing one another in the empty ward, laughing. Y/n grabbed her bag strapped around her shoulder and received the vials, which were in pristine condition. 

“I want you to have this. It’s not ready for experimentation, but I wanted to give you what you love the most,” she held out Hange’s hand and placed the vial inside, folding her fingers around the glass. For a moment, they stared at one another with understanding in their eyes. Hange softly giggled, before it crescendoed into a hearty laugh as she snorted. 

“Is this an engagement?” she asked. Y/n blushed, the color spreading across her entire face. She smiled. 

“Why not, my dear? It can be anything we want it to be,” she held up the vial, the clear liquid changing color ever-so-slightly in the palm of her warm hands. In moments of passion and bliss, y/n and Hange shared another kiss, much gentler than before, enjoying every moment spent together on the cold floor of the Palace hospital ward.

**Author's Note:**

> I am planning on writing a chapter (part) 2, but idk when I will get that out with school starting up soon.


End file.
